Sunday, April 7, 2019

First day of spring

It was a beautiful, beautiful day. Began a bit cool. Jan and Tom came over to clear the garden tools from the shed. If the wheelbarrow and spade and shovel are gone, so is the temptation to make a big garden. Tom and Laura disengaged the rain barrel from the downspout, and when the truck was all loaded, they spread the big fishnet over top of all, and Tom and Jan went home.


My new unit will go on the concrete pads up to the right of the shed. My sandstone step will be moved over to my new shed. I haven't asked the maintenance guys about that yet. It may take more than cookies!


Laura began clearing last year's vegetation debris from the garden. After she told me she can do it herself, I came in to weave. I chuckled at her laptop on the bench. Friends and social media!



I took annual pictures of toad and pig. Another tough winter for them. Not bad shape for the shape they're in. All of them are thirty odd years of age. We were gifted a hedgehog in resin. I've left him in my will.


Here's hedgehog, and a couple of rock friends of his. 



After lunch we went grocery shopping. Here are pictures of Laura's gardening work. One more year the Solomon's Seal did not overwinter. For such an invasive plant, I guess I hear it doesn't like this garden! All the ornaments in glass are still overwintering on top of the kitchen cupboards.

There are twenty or thirty pounds of brook pebbles left from the watercourse project. You can see them in the bottom picture up there, guiding the water from the gutter to the road. Without the rain barrel this year, there will be more water than ever. Oh, well!

I will take the remaining stones to the new house and pour a bonafide rock garden and place all my  garden ornaments in it.



Of course, it isn't spring until pig has flowers. This year it's all Irish, with shamrock and the little green plant whose name I cannot remember. Happy first day of spring, faithful little piggy.
 

47 comments:

  1. The weather is delightful today and I spent my day with my plants! I am tired and very content now.

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  2. I hope your crop grows well this summer, Joanne. Mine, if I plant any lettuce or other green's, will go in around this time next month. Maybe.

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    1. My gardening will be limited to containers. Tomatoes! Tomato sammies. Oh, yes! Laura hates tomatoes.

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  3. Laura is certainly industrious. You'll be moving soon. I hope you like your new home.

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  4. Hari OM
    What a lovely post today, filled with the uplift of spring! Mum used to call that little spreading plant "the penny farthing" but have no idea of its proper name. The purple oxalis is one of my faves.

    Onto my fifth day down under and at long last it promises to be be warm (30'C) - first two days were very wet and had to buy an umbrella!!! Autumn, this side, approaches. YAM xx

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    1. Does it qualify as carry-on luggage? :-)


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    2. Hari om
      Actually, no, but could have put one in hold bag if had thought would need one. But...😶

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  5. I think that Laura is going to miss living with you so much. She may not even know it, but she will. And what you've taught her and allowed her to learn will be part of her forever.

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    1. You know, I hope. I taught Hamilton how to handle a shovel, and he was a natural. I hope the need for these skills hangs around a few more generations.

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  6. More adventures ahead. Life is never dull is it?

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  7. I am loving your garden ornaments. On this side of the world I am preparing for spring - ripping and tearing in the garden before I plant a myriad of bulbs. I am also contemplating rocks to send you.

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  8. I like seeing pig and toad ready for another Spring and Summer. When do you relocate? -Jenn

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  9. Will you not have any more snow, Joanne? Or do you take in your shamrocks at night? We can't put anything out here until June (after the full moon) as there could be frost. Sad face.

    LOVE the hedgehog! And still love toad and pig. I'm glad they survived another winter.

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  10. I personally will have no more snow. If it falls, I will deny it.

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  11. It was a beautiful day today....My daffodils are finally blooming and the hellebores have begun. I hope you will love your new home. I have no luck with tomatoes on my deck, but I will try again. One of these days it will work!

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  12. Happy spring to you Joanne. It's always nice to see the back side of winter and the growth of new life.

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  13. Will Laura be in a different school next year when she goes back to her mom? I don't remember you mentioning her hair being green, but I do like it. Hair is one of those things you can change and it is usually not permanent in the process. Glad spring is showing up for you!

    betty

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  14. You gave Laura important tools for life, you have nothing to worry about. I love your wonderful attitude to the pig, he certainly deserves it.

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  15. It's nice to see Piggy has flowers again. Happy spring to you, as we head into autumn.

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  16. Your rock garden is coming on nicely.

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  17. Spring is truly springing down your way. It's a little slower east and slightly north of you, but we're getting there.

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  18. I love toad, pig and hedgehog! Toad looks distinctly disapproving. Of what I wonder?

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    1. He's always been a grump. Probably because someone named him Tod, and occasionally puts a hat on him.

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  19. Such a long time since I stopped by here - I see you're moving! Can I ask where? Sunny spring weather here in the UK has morphed back into grey, cold, mist - had to dig out warmer jumpers! The Spring plants are out in full force, however - hope the weather is kind to them. The birds are in full song - I have to get up in the early hours and shut the windows so I can sleep :-)

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    1. No far. To the street behind me, and the lot behind my next door neighbor. We can still walk to each other's house.

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  20. Toad and Pig seem comfortable with their place in life. I specially like Hedgehog. Happy Spring to you. Here we are reaching for summer with temps expected to be almost 90 by tomorrow.

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  21. Your garden ornaments are lovely! They’ll settle in nicely in the new place I imagine!

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  22. my daughter dyed her hair that same color green when she was Laura's age. and I too think she will miss living with you once the euphoria of not passes. and so did Blake bring down the wrath of Google for mentioning her in your last post after being told not to? because I know you take orders so well.

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    1. I thought it prudent to read up on Google's ground rules. They basically are no terror, no deviant sexual stuff, no slavery stuff. You can see by my inability to articulate the unmentionables, I can't wrap my head around them long enough to remember. Too bad I didn't write them down. Long story short, google doesn't give a damn about me.

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  23. She voluntarily did all this work? When is the new unit arriving? Your outsides look ready to go.

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    1. She's a fascinating young woman, Mage. Laser focused. Smart. Meticulous. She allows herself an hour in the morning to apply makeup. What she does not like does not cross our threshold. When she is gone, I can have tomato sandwiches again.

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  24. Your mystery plant is Creeping Wire Vine ‘Muehlenbeckia’. A favorite of ours for pots or window boxes.

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  25. Not one soul will perish
    who puts their trust in Me
    -Jesus

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  26. Speaking of dish towels (yes I know we weren't) I thought you should know about the exhibition involving the Confederate Truce Flag, aka Lee's wife's dishtowel, and contemporary weaving of something like--
    https://whyy.org/articles/the-plain-white-confederate-flag-of-truce-and-surrender-inspires-exhibit-in-philly/

    Happy spring indeed!

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    1. I did not know about the exhibition. What an undertaking. I am pleased the weaver took care to tell the author the towel's pattern is intended for absorbency. Will you drop me a note at jnoragon@gmail.com. Thanks.

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  27. I love those animals! Especially the hedgehog. And oh the pig too. Your Laura is amazing. What a worker!

    XO
    WWW

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  28. Re problems commenting on blog posts - the issue raised a few days ago. I believe i've cracked it finally!

    It's no use trying to go in through Safari on my iPhone or my Mac any more. I have to go in through Google Chrome. I think its part of the ongoing battle between Apple and Microsoft. It has caused me a lot of grief, but I think its sorted now.

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  29. Glad to see that you have sight of Spring..but like us here it can still be chilly.
    It will be good to have a living space that suits you...and still have the same friends and neighbours that you are used to

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  30. I'm looking forward to seeing your new rock garden as it progresses.

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  31. Nice that everything is beginning to happen Joanne. Sorry about Solomon's Seal - it is a plant I really love and I always think of it as very hardy. Obviously it isn't so I shall have to think carefully before introducing it to my new garden.

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    1. At the old house I had to give away shovels full every spring, to keep it in check. I didn't like moving a thousand feet due north. The dirt (ahem, soil) is no better. No idea.

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  32. Too bad we don't live closer - I happen to have extra tomato plants this year. About 50. It's going to be nice to have a new place, compact and all your own. I love your toad, pig and hedgehog.

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  33. Your toad and pig are faithful friends, glad you value them! Laura is working so hard, and obviously making a good job of it.

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